Why "One Subject" is the main bone of contention

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** "One Subject" is THE ISSUE inside Congress
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We've always said...
* Many members of Congress will favor the "One Subject at a Time Act," if only they hear about it from constituents.
* Even more will want to vote for it, if they know that other members will vote for it too.

It's mainly the Congressional leaders who oppose "One Subject," because it would remove much of the power they currently have to control the rank-and-file. In other words...


** "One Subject" is the major issue
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It's THE issue that divides the rank and file from the leadership.

That makes it an issue you can use to divide and conquer.

You can…
* split off the leadership from the main body of Congress
* make the leaders submit to what the members want

And what do the members want?
* Smaller bills that have only one subject
* Time to read the bills and think about them (even when they don't take advantage of it)

But they really, really don't want to be blamed for legislation they oppose. And that happens all the time when stuff is clustered into more important legislation – the kind of bill a member feels compelled to pass.

Many people probably doubted our claim that most members of Congress will like "One Subject" while the leadership will hate it. Yet...

"One Subject" was a major reason Speaker McCarthy was deposed, and…

"One Subject" is now a major reason why some in the Republican caucus are trying to remove Speaker Johnson.

The "One Subject" idea is the backbone of what the rebellious Republicans have termed...


** The Usual Order
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The Usual Order is the way things used to be when Congress followed most of its rules. For instance...

Congress is supposed to pass individual appropriations bills for the various government departments. Instead, they constantly pass massive omnibus bills that no one can examine (let alone read).

These omnibus bills allow the House and Senate leaders to hide all sorts of provisions that a majority would oppose, or remove things that a majority would support.

We end up with the entire government being controlled by essentially two people - the Speaker of the House and the Senate Majority Leader! So much for representative government!

However, Speaker Johnson was elected on a promise to restore the usual order. This included a one-subject rule that he pledged to obey. Guess what?


** Johnson broke his "one subject" promise
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So now there's a movement to replace him. Now, an unlikely coalition of Democrats and Republicans to keep him in office. Is this a cause for despair? No, because...


** We have the missing ingredient
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The Republican rebels have failed to end the era of omnibus bills because they have only a one-seat majority and just one tactic – keep deposing each Leader until they get one that restores the usual order. But each new Leader quickly realizes that restoring usual order will reduce his power!

The rebels need a tactic that will work no matter who the leader is. The "One Subject at a Time Act" is that tactic, because it's a law rather than a rule – so the Leader can't waive it.

Even better, it can be passed over the heads of the leadership using a discharge petition, if necessary.

So how can we get the rebels, and the other members who would prefer the usual order, to grab and pass the "One Subject at a Time Act?" I said it above. They have to be aware of our bill. So what does that mean?

It means THE STAFF in each office is telling the politician they work for one or both of the following things...
* This bill will make your life easier
* Your constituents want you to do this

Some of our bill's historical sponsors are among the key rebels who have been fighting to restore the usual order.

YOU HAVE INSPIRED THEIR STRATEGY!!!

But there aren't enough of them yet, so…

Be sure that you’re part of The 300 ([link removed]) , in your district, to support the One Subject at a Time Act...
Support One Subject ([link removed])

Set your own agenda,

Jim Babka, President
Agenda Setters by Downsize DC

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** Today's Action: Join The 300 for One Subject ([link removed])
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